*Note: "Airoad" is a word coined from "Air" and "Road". It gives the image of "a vehicle running briskly through the wind" and arouses the aero parts specification with sportiness which this limited-edition specially features.

The Familia S-Wagon features high driving performance and versatility with compactness and has been highly acclaimed by customer as a vehicle to support active lifestyle. It incorporates Mazda's brand personality of "Stylish", "Insightful" and "Spirited."

The Airoad are fitted with aero parts and rear dark tinted glasses, and features exclusive fabric for seats and door trims, offering sporty and stylish look. It also incorporates a combination audio of AM/FM radio and CD. Featuring these popular special equipment, the price is only 88 thousand yen higher than the base model. The base model is the 1.5-liter 2WD S-grade model with 4EC-AT.

Friday, January 21, 2000

Mazda Motor Corporation has conformed its gasoline engine model of "Familia Van" to meet emission regulation for 2000 and 2001, and launched today at Mazda and Mazda Anfini dealerships throughout Japan.

All the gasoline engines incorporated into Familia Van have now reduced its emission. Both two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive model meet emission regulations for 2000 and 2001, respectively. The Familia Van features in-line, four-cylinder 1300DOHC or 1500DOHC engine for the two-wheel-drive model, and the 1800DOHC engine for four-wheel-drive model.

The two-wheel-drive model now applies to a low-emission tax incentive and qualifies for automobile acquisition tax cut (*2)

Other product features and price are unchanged from the previous model.

*1) The emission regulation for 2000 and 2001 requires the reduction of CO, HC, and NOx emission by about one-third of the current level. The regulation for 2000 obliges its emission reduction for vehicles manufactured after October 2000 with a total weight of 1.7 tons or less. The regulations for 2001 is for the vehicles manufactured in or after October 2001 with a total weight of more than 1.7 tons to 3.5 tons or less.*2) Vehicles meeting the emission regulation for 2000 qualify for. a 1% reduction in the automobile acquisition tax ratio when registered by September 30, 2000, and for a 0.1% reduction after October 1, 2000 through February 28, 2001.

Wednesday, January 19, 2000

1. A "Child Seat Advisor" will be stationed at all Mazda, Mazda Anfini and Mazda Autozam dealerships. They will promote the customer's understanding of the regulation, and instruct them how to use of the child seat and how to select a suitable product. At the exhibition section of each dealership, we will also provide presentation boards, brochures, etc. with the campaign logo mark and character. To attract children's interest in the child seat, Mazda will use "Gonta-kun," a popular TV character from a children's program, as a campaign character to provide information to them.

2. In addition, the "Child Seat Caravan" event will be held in Yokohama and Osaka. At selected locations in these two cities, the "Child Seat Advisor" and a life-size campaign character will give demonstrations to visitors and allow the opportunity to experience the feeling of the child seat themselves with the simulated "Adult-size Child Seat." Mazda hopes this event helps customers fully understand the child seat from the viewpoint of children. The date and location of the event is as follows:

Mazda strongly feels that parents should understand correct installation of child seats. Following the campaign's basic concept "Mazda puts itself in the child's place," we will give adults a practical advice based on the perspective of babies/children who actually use the child seat. We will offer the opportunity for customers to think about the best way for making their babies/children sit in the child seat willingly and comfortably as well as give instructions on proper installation to protect children in a vehicle.

With this context, "Child Seat Advisor" will be stationed at domestic dealerships before the enforcement of the new legislation that requires child seats from April 1, 2000, and Mazda will conduct the campaign to deepen customers' understanding about the importance of child seats and proper installing procedure. Mazda will also hold "Child Seat Caravan" event at selected locations.

With Brand Massage "Kokoro wo ugokasu shin hassou - New ideas that stir your emotions," Mazda has been striving to promote our Brand Management Strategy for a closer "emotional connection" with our customers in every aspect of contact with them, such as products, communications, sales and services. In addition, Mazda has a firm commitment to safety in R&D activities and extensive application of advanced safety technologies and equipment to its products. This campaign is based on these approaches.

Tuesday, January 18, 2000

Mazda's minivan, the MPV marked a cumulative production of 500,000 units on January 7. The record was achieved 11 years and 5 months after the production of the first generation MPV began in August 1988. Out of 500,000 units, 17% of the cumulative production units are for the domestic market, and 83% for overseas markets.

For the domestic market, it was introduced in January 1990. For overseas markets, the model's introduction started with North America in October 1988.

Mazda launched the "New MPV", the second-generation model in June 1999 for the domestic market. The New MPV embodies Mazda's brand personality of "Stylish", "Insightful", and "Spirited" and Mazda's brand essence, "New ideas that stir your emotion". The New MPV is highly valued for its stylish and sporty exterior, high quality and spacious interior, efficient luggage space, unique seat arrangement functionality, rear sliding doors on both sides, responsive handling, and top-level safety.

For major overseas markets including North America and Europe, Mazda launched the New MPV in the fall of 1999, with excellent reviews. It has become one of globally important strategic models for Mazda worldwide.

Mazda will continue to offer the MPV as a high quality, functional and stylish minivan to establish its presence in the market all over the world.

Friday, January 14, 2000

Mazda Motor Corporation has decided to integrate indirect functions of its consolidated domestic subsidiaries and affiliates including 61 domestic dealers to the parent company. Indirect functions will include accounting, finance, personnel and payroll, purchasing and information systems. The transfer and integration is scheduled to begin in the end of January 2000, and to be completed by mid 2002.

This move is a part of Mazda's strategy to further strengthen the management foundation of the Mazda group as a whole by improving operational efficiency of its subsidiaries and affiliates, and also focussing on core businesses.

In domestic dealerships, the "One operation" program, which integrates the main functions of several dealerships such as management, administration, etc, has successfully been introduced to make management more efficient.

Saturday, January 8, 2000

"By launching the Tribute into the growing SUV market, to join and round out the popular Demio, Premacy and MPV in our RV lineups, we hope to heighten our competitiveness in the global markets and further strengthen the Mazda brand," says Mazda's president Mark Fields.

The name "Tribute," which originally means "something to give praise or thanks in order to show respect or admiration," carries Mazda's message that the vehicle serves as a 'tribute' in form of creativity and engineering to the customers who drive it, as well as to the style and spirit of those who drive it. Aware of brand identity, Mazda adheres only to "Tribute" as the vehicle's name, unexceptionally using the name in every market of the world as the company did "Premacy" and "MPV."

The all-new Tribute is scheduled to market-release in Japan, Europe and other regions in the second half of 2000. * Its official name is "2000 Greater Los Angeles Auto Show." The press preview days are January 6 and 7, 2000; the show is open to the public at Los Angeles Convention Center January 8 through 16.

Mazda Motor Corporation is releasing "Tribute," the new 5-seater SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) at the Los Angeles Auto Show.* The vehicle will go on sale in North America in the early summer of 2000.

The Tribute features: the versatile styling, which makes the vehicle look outstanding both in the urban jungle and on mountainous roads; the spacious and convenient interior room in which Mazda's design philosophy has resulted; the powerful, smooth 3.0-liter V6 and 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine; and the four-wheel-drive facilitated with Rotary Blade Coupling with the lock-up-function system. These characters make this new SUV the vehicle that embodies Mazda's brand personalities, "Stylish," "Insightful" and "Spirited."

The SUV boom that has begun in the US since the 1980s now pervades all over the world. Today's SUV buyers do not only require off-road capability for their vehicles but also "day-to-day convenience," the value that has become prominent in the SUV market since the mid 1990s. Supposedly, the SUV market will be diversified and expand further, showing even more sorts of values to meet the buyer's needs.